In front of me, there's a rope. Not just any rope, though. It's securely tied to a thick beam in the ceiling, and at the end, there's a loop just big enough for a person's head.

Yes, I'm about to die. I'm going to commit suicide.

When I first started high school, life was pretty normal. I was overweight, but I wasn't a complete social outcast. I had friends, and I lived an ordinary student life.

But one day, a boy in my class became the target of a bullying group. Summoning up my courage, I reported the bullying to the teacher. Unfortunately, that worthless teacher revealed in homeroom that I had reported the bullying.

Naturally, the bullies were furious and shifted their target to me. To make things worse, the ringleader's father was the director of the hospital where my mom worked. He threatened me, saying if I told anyone about the bullying again, he would get my mom fired. Since my father died in an accident, my mom has been raising me on her own. She's a kind woman, and I didn't want to cause her any trouble.

"It's time to go."

Everything was prepared. My mom wouldn't be home until the day after tomorrow due to her night shift at the hospital. Our apartment was on the second floor, facing a busy street, so if I left the curtains open, someone would see my body in the morning and report it. I didn't want my mom to see me like that.

On my desk, I had written two suicide notes. One was for my mom, and the other detailed the bullying I suffered, naming the teacher responsible for it.

"Whew, whew."

I'm scared.

All I need to do is step off the stool, and it'll all be over. I'm heavy, so I should die quickly. But I just can't bring myself to take that final step.

Doubt creeps in. Maybe I should stop. Maybe I could talk to the police or drop out of school. No, I'm weak, and I can't even die properly.

Suddenly, the ground starts to shake. An earthquake, and it's a big one. My bookshelf and computer rattle violently.

I slip off the stool.

"Gah!"

All my weight pulls down on my neck, but my hands instinctively reach up, wedging themselves between the rope and my throat. I'm still going to die, but now it's going to be even more painful.

Damn it. My life was nothing but misery, even to the end. Slowly, the pressure on my neck increases, and my consciousness begins to fade.

Crack.

"Haaah!"

My feet touch the ground, and the pressure on my neck disappears in an instant. At the same time, pain shoots through my head as the beam I had tied the rope to breaks and falls, hitting me.

I cough violently, gasping for air. I thought I was going to die. No, I was trying to die, but I didn't expect it to hurt this much. Maybe I need to come up with a different method.

I never expected the ceiling beam to break. When I tested it by hanging from it with both hands, it seemed fine. What's worse is that now there's a huge hole in the ceiling.

What's that?

I look up at the hole in the ceiling. The broken beam didn't just leave a hole in the ceiling; beyond the hole is a black, fluid-like surface, almost like a mirror reflecting nothing.

What is this? My room is on the second floor of a wooden apartment building. Above should just be the roof. This isn't fabric or wood... it's something else.

I'm curious.

Even though I was about to die, something about it intrigues me. I move the ladder I used to tie the rope, positioning it directly under the hole. The ladder is sturdy enough to hold my weight.

I climb up the ladder, reaching the black surface. Tentatively, I reach out and touch it.

"Whoa, that's gross!"

As soon as my fingers make contact, they sink into the black surface. I can't feel anything beyond the surface, and my fingers disappear as if they were being absorbed.

Panicking, I pull my hand back. There's nothing wrong with my fingers. I take a deep breath and then plunge my whole arm through. Just like before, I feel nothing, and my arm vanishes beyond the black surface.

Should I go through?

I brace myself and stick my head through.

"Huh!?"

It doesn't make any sense. There's a whole house up here... above my ceiling. That's the only way to describe it. Above my apartment, there's a fully constructed house. It's as if the ceiling of my room is connected to the floor of this mysterious house.

There's no way there should be a house above my apartment. I pull my head back out, but sure enough, below me is still my room.

Guess I'll just go up and see.

I climb further, pushing my whole body through the black surface. It seems that the black circle on the floor here is connected to my room's ceiling.

"Wait, what if I can't get back?"

I don't know how this connection works, but if I go through and can't return, I'll be in serious trouble.

I quickly stick my head back through the black surface, and sure enough, I can still see my room below.

Alright, I can go back if I need to.

Now a bit more relaxed, I take a good look around. The room is made of brick, about six tatami mats in size, with the black circle in the middle of the floor. There's nothing else in the room except a single door.

What now?

This place clearly defies all logic. Should I move forward? Well, I was ready to die a moment ago, so what do I have to lose?

Creak...

I slowly open the door.

"Whoa!"

I stumble backward, falling on my rear. Who wouldn't freak out if there was a dried-up human corpse sitting right in front of them?

Beyond the door is a larger room with shelves full of books on both sides. In front of the shelves is a desk, and in the chair behind the desk is the dried-up corpse.

What am I supposed to do?

On the desk, there's an obvious letter waiting to be read. It doesn't seem sealed, so I take out the stack of papers inside.

I can't read this.

It's not Japanese or English. The characters are completely unfamiliar.

"You have acquired the Language Comprehension Skill."

"Whoa!"

A voice echoes in my head. It wasn't like someone was speaking to me—it was more like the words were placed directly into my brain. There's no one else around, so what the hell is going on?

I look back at the paper, and somehow, I can understand the previously unreadable characters. Could this "Language Comprehension Skill" be the reason?

[If you're reading this letter, then I'm no longer in this world... No, that's obvious. Sorry, I just wanted to say that once.]

...That irritated me right away. The author of the letter is probably this dried-up corpse in front of me. Seems like they had a pretty lighthearted personality.

[First, let me introduce myself. My name is Hardy, though people in this world called me the Great Mage. After some stuff happened, I retired and became an old man living in seclusion.

While I was spending my retirement researching magic, I finally managed to complete a spell that connects this world to another. I believe I may be the first to have ever reached this level of magic.

However, despite the theory being perfect, for some reason, I couldn't cross into the other world myself. My guess is that while I can create the door from this side, the door can only be opened by someone from the other world.]

Wait, wait, wait! Did he just say another world!? Is he seriously saying this is another world? But it makes sense—considering that mysterious voice in my head earlier, and the sudden ability to read these letters thanks to a skill, could it be true?

[If the person reading this letter is from this world and knows my name, I'd like you to leave the letter and the black circular door in the next room as they are. In another room, there are valuable treasures and magical tools, so feel free to take those and ensure no one else approaches this house. Please, I ask for your help.]

It seems that even after death, this Great Mage cared more about preserving the door to another world than his treasures or magic tools. To him, it was an experiment that, even in death, he couldn't confirm as a success.

[Now, onto the main point. The rest of this letter is encoded in such a way that only someone not from this world can read it. In other words, if you're reading this, you're from another world! I can't believe I didn't live long enough to witness the success of my magic with my own eyes.

I've also placed a trigger in the letter that grants the ‘Language Comprehension Skill' the moment you touch it, so you should be able to read this now. Or, does everyone in your world have skills like this? Is opening doors to other worlds a common thing? If so, I'd feel a bit defeated.]

No, we don't have skills or magical doors like that!

[What kind of world do you come from? Is it a place where even I, a Great Mage, wouldn't know the kinds of magic that exist? Are there dragons or monsters that I've never seen? Damn, I wish I could have visited your world too.]

There's no magic, dragons, or monsters in my world! How fantasy-driven is this place? Well, maybe if he saw our advanced technology, he'd be surprised.

[Sorry for the long introduction. To commemorate my successful experiment, I'm giving you a gift. I will pass down everything that made me the Great Mage to you. You can use it to rule the world or for whatever you like.]

So, this Great Mage is giving me something? What does he mean by "rule the world"? What exactly is he handing over?

[I'm giving you everything—my skills, magic, and levels. Sadly, I can't transfer my knowledge or memories, so you'll have to learn from the books in this house. By the way, this inheritance magic is an original spell of mine, and it took quite a bit of time to develop.]

I don't fully understand, but it seems like he's passing on everything he acquired. In my world, there are no such things as skills, magic, or levels, so can this really work?

Wait, isn't there a danger in this situation? In manga or anime, when someone inherits power, they often get possessed by the original owner's memories. What if he tries to take over my body?

[Oh, by the way, you don't have a choice. By reading this far, you've automatically agreed, and the inheritance magic will begin.]

"Hey, come on!!"

I don't get a say in this?! Hold on a second, I haven't even checked out the house or read through the books here. Let me at least figure out what's going on first!

'Inheritance magic initiation confirmed. The inheritance will now begin.'

"Wait a minute, stop—"

'Skills, magic, and levels of Hardy Urnus will be inherited by Tachihara Masayoshi. This process will take approximately 10 hours. Note that some pain will be involved.'

The mysterious voice echoes in my head again.

"10 hours!? You didn't say anything about pain! Hold on, can't we pause—"

'Beginning skill inheritance. Inheriting the Sense Detection skill… Success. Continuing with Stealth skill inheritance.'

"Aaaaghhhh!"

It hurts, it hurts!

It feels like an overwhelming amount of information is being forcibly crammed into my brain. How is this only “some pain”? It's excruciating! At this rate, I'm done for!

Despite my desperate plea, the intense headache goes on for what feels like forever.

'Skill inheritance complete. Continuing with magic inheritance. Inheriting Fire Magic… Success. Continuing with Water Magic.'

"Guuhhh!!!"

Just when the pain in my head subsides from the skill inheritance, a new wave of agony strikes my entire body from within.

'Magic inheritance complete. Continuing with level inheritance… Now inheriting levels. Please wait.'

"Agaahhh!!"

The pain inside my body finally stops, but now my muscles and bones are assaulted by an excruciating pain. I can hear horrible cracking sounds from all over my body.

"Abababababa..."

This pain is on a whole different level compared to the skill and magic inheritance. It feels like I'm being slashed by knives and bludgeoned by hammers all over my body.

And with that, I lose consciousness.